Is this what Internal bleeding feels like?
by NightFuryRanger
Summary: What happens in the missing moment after the battle? What if Walter was more hurt then he let on?
1. Chapter 1

When all was said and done, all the drones put into stasis, guns and other weapons collected. Ears and Eyes found Walter and Lance still lying in the meadow.

Lance was busy yelling at the pigeons huddled around him to leave, while Walter was calculating his injuries. Eyes came to a stop and just stared at Lance in shock meanwhile as Ears walked up and asked outright.

"So you are a bird?"

Lance huffed and glared at him as he continued to try to shoo away Lovie who was hell-bent on- helping- him. Walter from his position beside him craked a smile and wheezed out.

"I would turn him into a man again if I could move. The cure is in my backpack."

Lance shivered and warned them, "It's not a backpack be careful."

"Hey! Is too. Just help me walk over to the pillars it should behind one of them."

Eyes finally spoke, still staring at them. "No, you need medical, both of you." She signaled to the team of medics coming over the hill.

Walter froze, then doubled his efforts to stand up not that he was getting anywhere.

"I'm fine! I'm okay! I don't need medical attention." Walter protested pushing himself up only to grimace and collapse. He moved to try again but instead ended up choking and coughing up some blood.

"I'm fine!" He proclaimed as the medical team reached him, shrinking away from them.

Lance looked at him funny, " you never told me you were scared of medics."

"I'm not scared..." Walter protested only to whimper when the medics dropped their bags beside him.

Lance rolled his eyes at Walters's antics. "Kid your hurt, your got hit by rubble in the fight, almost got blown up, fell a few hundred feet, then crashed into a rock platform. Let them help you."

Walter ignored him in favor of continuing to whimper as a medic placed a stretcher beside him. And the minute a neck brace made its way toward Walter he looked like someone was about to stab him with a knife. When they clicked it into place he started to panic his heart rate and breathing sped up, now visible on the monitors they attached to his bare chest after cutting his shirt off.

With his chest exposed Lance could clearly see the harsh shades of blue and purple covering Walters's pale skin a sure sign of internal bleeding. A few lacerations decorated the heaving chest with blood as Walter started to hyperventilate.

But his body could not take the action in its weakened state and his vitals started to crash, sending the medics into a frenzy.

"Get him sedated! We need to intubate! His left lung's collapsing!" The head medic ordered as Walter struggled to breathe, his back arching off the stretcher. Straps were secured across him immobilizing him to the stretcher.

Lance watched frozen, his own pain ignored as the medics pushed a tube down Walters's throat. Never had he thought he would feel such terror for a friend, he realized that he was starting to see Walter as a son.

He watched as they put Walter back together, the sense tearing his few heartstrings. Walter was lost under the sheer amount of tubes, wires, and braces surrounding him. He did not move at all anymore, which was a blessing, but it made him look like a doll...or a corpse and that scared Lance.

Marcy by some miracle had found Walters backpack and inside a container labeled" Lance's Bird Cure" in small neat writing. This was swallowed by Lance who thankfully was wearing clothing this time.

Lance paid no attention to the medics as they strapped him down onto a stretcher and moved him into a jet alongside Walter. He still was not paying attention by the time they reached the hospital and Walter was rushed into emergency surgery.

He was still lost in his mind as he was checked over by doctors and placed in a room, Lance barely heard Marcy come in and apologize. And after hours of waiting in silence, he was overjoyed when Walter was finally wheeled in.

He only paid attention to Walter as he waited for him to wake up after surgery, holding Walters's small hand in his big one.

But he missed the small smile on Walters's face as he woke up to the Lance Sterling sound asleep in a chair beside his bed or how the small hand gently squeezed his back.


	2. Chapter 2

It took days for Walter to wake up. Turned out that was almost all the time Lance needed to lose his mind with worry.

Even when the doctors cleared him to leave the hospital and go who knows where. He stayed by Walters's side, pacing the floor of Walters's room till the nurses stopped him. Then paced some more outside in the sterile halls checking every time he passed by if Walter was showing any signs of waking.

Marcy with the rest of her group visited after the fight was done and cleaned up. It was by pure chance Lance was actually in the room when they came by.

"Hey, how is he?"

Lance looked up from where he was sitting on one of the cold metal hospital chairs as Marcy, Eyes, and Ears entered.

They had dressed in civilian clothing no doubt blend in. It was one of the first times Lance had seen them without their gadgets.

They all winced when they caught sight of Walter.

"That bad hun?"

Lance nodded, his eyes trailing over Walters still face and the blue bite block strapped across it to keep the breathing tube in place.

"Has he woken up yet?" Marcy asked sitting down beside Lance who made no move to stop her.

"No, not yet."

Ears walked to the end of the bed and picked up Walters's medical sheet read over it quickly before whistling and handing it to Eyes who followed suit and paled several shades.

"He's a good kid you know, strong, brave he'll make it through this."

"I know he will, I just can't help but fearing if he doesn't."

"I know."

"He has his whole life ahead of him."

"I know."

Lance sighed stroking Walters's hand gently avoiding the IV feeding him fluids and nutrients to help him heal.

"I can't help but feel like this is all my fault. He begged me not to go alone, to let him come along, and what did I do? I didn't listen to him, and that almost got him killed."

"You can't change what happened it's in the past, but what you can do is be there for him now and in the future."

"How? All I seem to be able to do is hurt people and push them away."

Eyes spoke softly, "I've seen and met a lot of different people but never have I seen a person let along kid so kind, caring, helpful, and most importantly forgiving. He looks to you as a role model, you may not see it but he does."

She patted him gently on the shoulder.

"It will be alright."

"You better be right."

They left soon leaving him to his thoughts, in silence.

* * *

Another day passed, slowly, like it did not want to let go.

Lance was forced grudgingly to have a shower get a change of clothes and eat. He broke his personal record for the fasted shower ever and was back at the hospital by Walters's side as soon as they let him. (He escaped snuck back then they were not looking)

He watched as one of the doctors checked his breathing and muttered a few medical terms to the nurse taking notes beside him. Lance could not read his expression and that worried him. He really wished that he had paid more attention to the first aid class the agency made him take.

"Is he alright? What's going on?"

The doctor paused and looked at him. "Mr. Sterling? Well, he's starting to fight the ventilator."

_Fight the ventilator? _

"Is that bad?"

The doctor tapped a few things on one of the monitors, "No, it is good, it means his lungs are getting stronger."

Lance sighed in relief and slumped back in his chair half focusing on the nurse tucking Walter's blankets back in.

Soon they left the room and left him alone in the room with Walter's sleeping form.

"Are they gone yet?" A soft voice whispered into the silence.

Lance nodded slightly," Yeah, they are gone. Wait, _WALTER!"_ He catapulted out of his chair and landed beside Walters's bed taking in his sleepy expression and half-lidded eyes with an amused sparkle in them.

"Your awake!" Lance exclaimed feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Walter chuckled weakly waving a hand around a little bit wincing when it hurt to express his amusement.

"I can tell. But why are you here?" Lance pulled his chair closer and sat down again.

"You scared me, all of us really. I'm so glad you are okay."

Walter looked surprised at what he had just heard.

"What do you mean? Nobody likes me."

This shocked Lance but the more he thought about it he realized just how hard Walter's life had been and with that in mind he discided to make sure Walter always had someone looking out for him now.

"Now they do. Now they do."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **

**Hey folks, the worlds gone mad. **

**Or as I like to say "Its the end of the world as we know it" **

**I hope all you readers are safe and Healthy. **

**Schools out for now, not to sure if I should be happy or not. But I will be able to write more. **

**Sorry for the long wait though, my family and I got sick for a while and I cold not even look at a screen. **

**Any one have funny stories or ideas they would like to share? **

**Feel free to contact me or leave a review. **

**PS: Its helps encourage me to write more. **


	4. Chapter 4

Lance did not know what to think at this moment. Hell, he did not even think anyone would know what to think.

He was currently having a minor heart attack watching Walter.

What was Walter doing to put Lance in this position?

Well, he was trying to walk more of a shuffle really. Dragging the unwilling IV line behind him with Lovey on top perched comfortably.

He was not supposed to be out of his bed, let along leaving the room. But no, Lance was meeting a new stubborn side to Walter

And Walter wanted to go outside.

With a broken arm, sprained ankle, recovering collapsed lung, concussion, and multiple cuts.

Lance had done his best to keep Walter in bed but he had faced the worst set of puppy eyes he had ever seen on a twenty-year-old.

Walter had fixed them on him looking like Lance had done the worst sin imaginable by not letting him outside.

Now as the two of them well three including Lovey made the way down the hall to the indoor garden. Lance was sure that it would not be the last time he was faced with them.

And he was right.

"Lance." Came Walter's voice as he shuffled towards him Lovely and now Jeff still atop the IV pole.

Lance turned to him trying not to groan out loud.

"Yes?"

"Lance, I need real food. The cafeteria food still tastes like cardboard no matter how much ketchup and salt you put on it. Actually I should take a sample and see if I can figure out why it does that."

He sighed and gently pushed Walter into the seat beside him cutting off his rambling.

"Real food you say?"

"Yeah!" Walter exclaimed his face lighting up making Lance feel something new in his chest at almost felt like affection but he could not be sure.

"There is a place down by my home that I love its called The Cut Leaf."

Lance vaguely remembered passing a nice looking restaurant as he escaped to Walters's place the first time.

"What about it?"

Walter turned to face him a serious expression on his face, before clasping his hands together compelling Lance to wince slightly as he spotted the needle in the back of his hand. Remembering the fight he went through to get Walter to keep it in.

Then Lance made to mistake of looking to his face for Walters's big blue puppy eyes were staring at him full force.

"Can you please go get me the organic kale salad! It's my favorite and don't get me started on health properties(A/N My mom is literally an unregistered natural health doc. So my fam is really healthy).

Lance raised an eyebrow looking at Walter with an amused feeling. The gluten-free bread crumbs should have given this away.

"Okay, an organic kale salad coming up. If I find you doing anything that could hurt you or is strenuous there will be repercussions."

Walter rolled his eyes dramatically, "I will be fine your not my dad you know."

Lance pretended not to feel the slightest bit of hurt the squeezed his chest briefly.

"Fine, I'll be back." He ruffled Walters curls slightly be for leaving to find this salad.

It turned out that the restaurant was one on the other side of town then to the hospital. Not to mention it was rush hour at the time.

* * *

When Lance got back with the salad in hand he first went to the garden to check for Walter but when he was nowhere to be found there. He figured he had gone back to his room.

So he went headed there ignoring the worry building in his chest. It did not help when a nurse stood outside the door of Walters's room.

She startled slightly when she noticed him in front of her.

"Oh, Mr. Sterling. Walter.."

"Is he okay?"

She nodded gesturing into the room.

"He will be fine though he fell and tore some stitches they had to be redone so he's under heavy pain medication. It will make him sleepy for a while."

Lance entered the room behind her noting the new bag attached to Walter's IV stand.

He out the salad down on a table taking up one corner of the room. Moving to sit beside Walter who was sleeping at the moment taking one of the small hands in his.

The nurse left the room closing the door softly behind her. Lance took no notice of this his gaze focused on Walter's form.

"Don't do that again Kiddo my heart can't take much more emotional incidents."

He did not expect an answer but he got a sleepily slurred drugged one. But it was the words that made him nearly choke on tears.

"I love you too Dad." Then almost as an afterthought, "Sorry I scared you."

It surprised Lance when almost automatically he replied with an.

" I love you too." But deep down he knew he meant every word of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Shout out to the guest who reviewed a story idea. Just wanted to say I love it and would like to work with you on it. So contact me again if you can. **


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